Home Remedies For Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction: Treating The Pain At Home!

Reviewed By: Pramod Kerkar, MD, FFARCSI

“Injuries are written for every life and it is a fact no one has spent all their lifetime without being injured.” There are many kinds of injuries confined to many body parts. Some are external injuries and some are categorized as the internal ones. There are many injuries occurring at bones and joints. Injuries that occur in the Tempomandibular joint or the Jaw is termed as Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction or TMJ dysfunction. With such kind of condition in the Jaw, the affected person suffers from serious pain in Jaw, face, neck and shoulder and also grows with problems in chewing or opening mouth completely. Though Temporomandibular joint dysfunction or TMJ dysfunction is known mainly to be caused with the injury to the Temporomandibular joint or the Jaw while repeated grinding or clenching of teeth; these kinds of problem in the joint and Jaw is also seen from some patients who suffer from birth due to some kind of structural problems in the Jaw joint. This TMJ is also termed as Temporomandibular joint disorder, and is known for the group of health issues causing tenderness and pain in joint, the Jaw and the facial parts. Now as the belief goes, “No issue is remained unsolved if it has come into existence.” So as; there are some real effective treatments and home remedies available for this Temporomandibular joint disorder which are worth taking in to action by the victims. “If something can be treated at home, it is better going for the same.” Now, this current article will put limelight on the Temporomandibular joint dysfunction and the very essential home remedies for the same. Read below the following array of the article to discover the TMJ in a clear manner.

Know About The Temporomandibular Joint:

There are some complex structures that are made of tendons, bones and muscles which aids in connecting the mandible or the lower jaw to the skull; which are termed as Temporomandibular joints. These joints are in short abbreviated as TMJ. However the injury or disorder occurring to such Temporomandibular jaws are also known as TMJ in short. These Temporomandibular joints can be found in both the sides of your head, in front of the eyes and allows you to speak as well as open mouth or the Jaws for eating.

Get Introduced With The Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction:

Temporomandibular Joint dysfunction or TMJ dysfunction is any condition in the Temporomandibular joint where the victim suffers from a restricted movement of jaw, difficulty chewing and severe pains in jaw, face, neck and shoulders. Such health problems grows with the tenderness of the joint in the Jaw and are caused primarily due to any injury to the Temporomandibular joint or the trauma in the jaw. However there are also people who suffer from the Temporomandibular joint disorder with the similar symptoms which are caused by any structural defect in the joint or the jaw during birth. The following portions of the article will discuss more on the symptoms, causes and treatments or home remedies for Temporomandibular joint dysfunction.

Common Symptoms of Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction:

“Identifying the symptoms of any illness begins the treatment for the same.” Knowing about the symptoms of Temporomandibular joint dysfunction, is the first step in getting an insight of the TMJ and the home remedies for the same. Some of the common symptoms for Temporomandibular joint dysfunction include the following:

Causes of Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction:

“There is nothing odd in this world which has no background.” Every health issues, ill conditions or the disorder has its own reasons for attacking people. Look below for the list of some common known causes for Temporomandibular joint dysfunction.

Trauma to the jaw causes temporomandibular joint dysfunction

Repeated grinding or clenching of the teeth causes injury to the joint and thus seen the TMJ

People growing with arthritis also meet with the tempoomandibular joint dysfunction.

There are also the TMJ disorders caused due to some structural defects in the joint or the jaw from birth.

Erosion of the Temporomandibular joint do cause TMJ dysfunction.

Home Remedies For Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction:

“Home is the best place to provide you the right shade!” There are a lot of at-home remedies available for treating the Temporomandibular Joint dysfunction which must be given a worthy read so as to help self and the dear ones suffering from the TMJ dysfunction. Look below for some of the most effective and well known home remedies for Temporomandibular joint dysfunction.

Appropriate Diet Which Works Perfect As An Effective Treatment: “Your diet decides your life!” Something to be given a strict importance is the right diet in TMJ dysfunction. Going with the healthy foods that comfort your teeth and jaw helps you in getting rid of pain in jaw. Mashed potatoes, applesauce etc which are pretty soft in eating and do not put pressure in jaws or teeth for chewing, can be taken. Make sure you are avoiding the hard foods and also the chewing gums which can increase your pain and cause severe issues in the Temporomandibular joint dysfunction.

Absolute Jaw Exercises which provides relief from the Temporomandibular Joint pain: “There is always a special exercise stored for every problem that needs to be treated at home.” Coming to the special exercise that helps in reducing pain and other symptoms of TMJ dysfunction, you can go for the jaw exercises that would go for a stretch on the Jaw muscles and get the restricted jaw movement eradicated. Specialized doctors would make you know about the jaw exercises and also inform you about the massage therapy for the jaw.

Heat and Cold Therapy As An Effective Home Remedy: Heat and cold therapy are one of the best ways you can reduce the symptoms of TMJ dysfunction. You can apply the ice packs as the cold therapy and the heat packs for the effective heat treatment to the jaw which would relax the pain to a greater extent. Make sure you are clear about the appropriate place for applying the heat or cold packs and also be sure about confirming the appropriate timing for applying the same from your doctor.

Stress Management Techniques For Treating The Joint Problem: “One who has learnt the magic of stress management is able to relax himself from every problem.” Managing the stress in jaw or the Temporomandibular joint helps in a great manner to keep self relaxed from the harsh symptoms of TMJ. Some of the effective stress management methods one can follow at home include some special Yoga moves, meditation and deep breathing.

Use of a Stabilization Splint For Limiting You From Excessive Grinding And Clinching Of Teeth: There are some kind of Stabilization splint available for keeping the patient safe and restricted from excessive clenching or grinding of teeth and thus prevents from more injury to the Temporomandibular joint. These are also commonly called as the Bite guard which are to be fixed over the upper and the lower teeth. These bite guards are usually made of plastic and are available in two forms, the soft form and the firm ones. You can choose the one you are comfortable with to wear in your teeth.

A Special Note On The Self Help Therapy To Treat Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction:

There is always a confident belief, “There is no better protector of you than you yourself.” So, it is always better to get aware about all your own actions, which can help you in long run of your life. Coming to the self help therapy for treating Temporomandibular joint dysfunction, it is always a crucial note to be aware about the proper diet, absolute exercise, the stress management techniques, massage therapies etc so as to prevent yourself from the TMJ condition going worse and also helping self from coming out of the problem. There is always a note to be remembered in case you are suffering from the Temporomandibular joint dysfunction; “Be sure you are avoiding excessive jaw movements or the over use of jaw which can else aggravate the symptoms.”

Now that you are well known to some of the important and effective home remedies for Temporomandibular dysfunction, get ready to be your own doctor and help yourself treating it.